It’s About Time (IAT), the pioneering educational publisher that specializes in creating research-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum solutions for middle school and high school, will honor Dr. Gerhard Salinger, Program Officer of The National Science Foundation (NSF), with the first “Kreindler/Rowe Impact on Education Award.” The award will be presented to Dr. Salinger at the grand opening of the new IAT headquarters here on August 23 at 5:00 PM.

Since joining NSF in 1989, Dr. Salinger has been instrumental in helping to develop nationally disseminated research-based STEM instructional materials that have impacted millions of students across the country.

The “Kreindler/Rowe Impact on Education Award” is named after Lee S. Kreindler, a world-renowned aviation lawyer, creator of the concept of world peace through law, and one of the founders of IAT, and Dr. Mary Budd Rowe, a prominent science education innovator whose mission was to put the wonder of exploration back into science education.

“It’s About Time stands for a vision of how to prepare America’s students for an increasingly global, highly competitive, knowledge-work marketplace in the 21st century,” said Laurie Kreindler, Co-Founder and President of IAT. “Therefore, it is fitting that we honor Dr. Salinger, whose leadership has led to the development and successful implementation of hundreds of learning innovations. He is truly deserving of this award.”

Joining Dr. Salinger at this event will be some of the most influential leaders shaping the “Next Generation Science Standards,” including the authors of some of IAT’s programs and curricula. They are Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft, author of Active Physics and Active Chemistry; Dr. Janet Kolodner, Dr. Mary Starr and Dr. Joe Krajcik, authors of Project-Based Inquiry Science; Dr. Ann Benbow and Colin Mably from the American Geological Institute and the authors of EarthComm; and Dr. Yvonne Spicer, Lesley Kennedy and Lee Pulis from the Museum of Science, Boston, and the authors of Engineering the Future.

During the event, IAT will also be hosting a hands-on science fair in its new facility where 14 of its major NSF-funded middle- and high-school STEM curricula will be on display. NSF program officers, authors, school-district leaders, teachers, and students will be on hand to explain and demonstrate how these project-based inquiry curricula can make a powerful difference in STEM education.

IAT’s move to the new facility comes after 15 years in Armonk, NY, where the company was founded in 1996. The expanded offices include a 1,700 square foot professional-development facility for workshops and summer institutes. In addition, IAT is now able to house under one roof its offices; book and material-kit development, editorial and production; video studios; and warehouse, fulfillment, and distribution center. The company has also grown to 25 employees after hiring 10 people since the beginning of the year.

“We are delighted to be able to host this event in our brand new and expanded offices,” said Ms. Kreindler. “It’s a dream come true for us as we celebrate our sixteenth anniversary.”

While the vast majority of U.S. schools are using traditional, memorization-based curricula, the 14 IAT middle-school and high-school curricula focus on providing a rich and empowering STEM experience for teachers and students. Some of the larger districts of the hundreds from around the country that have implemented the IAT curricula include: New York City, NY; San Diego Public Schools, CA; Los Angeles Unified School District, CA; Seattle, WA; Beaverton, OR; Denver Public Schools, CO; Clark County (Las Vegas, NV); Chicago Public Schools, IL; San Antonio, TX; Orange County (Orlando, FL); Duval County (Jacksonville, FL); Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC; and Louisville, KY.

IAT “Active Learning curricula” have been funded by the NSF and the Department of Education and have therefore been developed by the foremost leaders in STEM education in the country. They have all been associated with increased student achievements and are well-aligned with the cognitive research findings on how people best learn. In addition, they all have been put through several years of research-based, iterative development and exemplify the NSF’s goals and objectives to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics for all students.

Many corporations and foundations, such as Chevron, GE, Martin Marietta and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that are dedicated to college and workforce readiness, have supported school districts in their implementation of IAT curricula.

About It’s About Time It's About Time (IAT) is a pioneering educational publisher and consulting firm. Founded in 1996, IAT specializes in creating research-based STEM curriculum solutions for middle school and high school, and partners with school districts to help educators adopt and implement them. Modeled on the way that practicing scientists and mathematicians conduct research, these solutions -- which include text books, classroom kits, electronically delivered media, hardware devices and professional development -- give educators tools to create a joyful learning environment as well as increase standardized test scores, deepen student engagement, and teach the 21st century skills of collaboration and independent problem solving.

With funding from the NSF, IAT’s solutions have empowered thousands of teachers and more than 6 million students. This year, an estimated 14,000 teachers and 1.4 million students will be using IAT curricula. With consultants and authors that are among today’s most prominent educational pioneers, IAT’s solutions meet both the “Common Core” and the soon-to-be-published “Next Generation Science Standards.” And no wonder: The same thought leaders who wrote those standards created the IAT curricula. http://www.its-about-time.com